


Pet Cheetah

by miss_message_man (TideNightWalker)



Series: Cheat a Bandito (and some others) [1]
Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Blue Haired Josh Dun, Gen, Green Haired Josh Dun, M/M, Orange Haired Josh, Trench Era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-22
Updated: 2018-09-22
Packaged: 2019-07-15 09:29:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16060283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TideNightWalker/pseuds/miss_message_man
Summary: No one in Dema knew how they got there. Tyler and Joshua were no exception, but things start to change when Tyler notices Joshua one day and makes it his mission to know the orange-haired stranger.“It may be a bit weird, but Tyler was weird.”





	Pet Cheetah

**Author's Note:**

> I know I said Pet Cheetah would come out in October, but surprise! I got excited and well, here it is. I’m not super pleased with this, especially in comparison to “Leave the City,” but I don’t think it’s too bad. I’d love to here some feedback from you guys. 
> 
> (Also I'm seriously wondering what Pet Cheetah will sound like. All of the songs released so far have been pretty varied, and it's called 'Pet Cheetah,' so it could be anything tbh)

Tyler didn’t remember where he was before Dema. He loved imagining his life before.

 

Was he a poet? A singer? An artist?

 

To Tyler, the possibilities were endless. He could’ve been anyone, anything.

 

The Bishops told him he was 22 years old. Apparently, that’s a person who is an adult in the world. Not that it meant anything to Tyler, other than the fact that he was younger than some people in Dema, and would be stuck here longer.

 

Here in Dema, people worked based on their ages. All of the people around his age worked in the farms, digging and planting and harvesting for the people of Dema. Tyler, being a quiet person, loved to look around at the people working. One of the others always caught his eye, and Tyler would find himself watching the other man for hours.

 

Tyler didn’t know his name, but he wanted to. The other person had orange hair, but only on the ends. His inner hair was a dark brown, almost black, and was extremely short on the sides. He was always smiling, and Tyler soon developed the idea that he had the sun behind his teeth.

 

If he didn’t smile enough, he’d die of heatstroke.

 

It may be a bit weird, but Tyler was weird.

 

* * *

 

The day Tyler learned the stranger’s name was possibly the best and worst day of Tyler’s life in Dema. 

 

His post had been moved for the day, to replace one of the sick workers. They were working, like normal, when a Bishop’s voice rang out across the field.

 

“Joshua.”

 

Tyler’s head shot up.  _ Why was that name so familiar? _

 

Three Bishops (Keons and two others) were standing in one of the walkways in the field, and the sunshine-smile stranger walked up to them. He wasn’t smiling now. 

 

“Joshua,” Tyler mouthed at the ground, pretending to do his work as he heard Joshua be taken away from the field.

 

Three weeks later, Joshua was back. His sunshine-smile had been replaced by a ring through his nostril and a awkward bump on his nose. His hair had grown out a bit, and now the top of his head was blue. Tyler didn’t know how that had happened.

 

Tyler was determined to figure out what was wrong, so he watched Joshua even more. (He tried to watch and find out which district Joshua lived in, but to no avail.)

 

As the weeks dredged on, Tyler became more and more impatient to meet Joshua and find out which district he lived in. His shining grace came in the form of their supervisor.

 

“Joshua. I have orders from our lord Bishop Nico to send you to work with Tyler here,” Dallon instructed, a sad look on his face but the standard monotone voice. “Bishop Nico believes you could learn some things from him.”

 

Tyler and Joshua nodded at Dallon.

 

“Follow me, Joshua,” Tyler said, trying not to let his excitement show through his voice.

 

They walked in silence to Tyler’s normal post, the farthest row from the entrance. 

 

“I wonder what Dallon wanted you to teach me,” Joshua quipped, a hint of his sunshine-smile returning. 

 

Tyler shrugged. “I don’t know why I was chosen as your teacher, but I guess we’ll find out.”

 

Joshua nodded. 

 

They began to work, monotonous and boring. And so, Tyler began to hum, like he did when he was bored. Humming was the whole reason he chose the row farthest away- no one would hear him. Joshua began making strange noises with his mouth that sounded like someone tapping on the ground with a shovel. 

 

Tyler started to giggle, his humming faltering.

 

Joshua smiled, a sunshine one; the first one Tyler had seen in a while. His heart skipped a beat, but he continued humming.

 

A the next day, they’re assigned together again, and Tyler finally gathered the courage to talk to Joshua.

 

“Which district do you live in?” Tyler asked quietly.

 

“Keons,” Joshua replied. “You?”

 

“Nico,” Tyler said. 

 

Joshua suddenly looked paler. “Huh.”

 

“Joshua,” A snake-like voice commanded. Joshua somehow looked even paler as Tyler looked around him to see Nico.

 

“Is something wrong, lord Bishop Nico?” Tyler asked. 

 

“Nothing that concerns you, Tyler,” Nico hissed. “Joshua, come with me.”

 

Joshua made no protest as he stepped forward to Nico, his head hung low. 

 

* * *

 

A week passed by, and Tyler was worried. He  _ knew  _ Joshua now. How was he supposed to just sit by and wait for him?

 

This question plagued Tyler as he lay in his cot one night, exactly eight days after Joshua had been taken away (he had counted).

 

Suddenly, his door burst open, and in surged Joshua. He closed the door behind him. His entire head was a silvery green, including the sides. 

 

“Joshua?”

 

“Tyler,” Josh breathed. “Thank God. I need your help.”

 

Tyler took a tiny step back. “With what?”

 

“We need to escape,” Josh panted. “We can’t stay here. They’re onto me, and now they’re onto you. We have to leave, Tyler.”

 

“There’s nothing out there, Joshua!” Tyler replied. “We have nowhere to go.”

 

Joshua shook his head, but before he could respond, clanging bells rung out.

 

Suddenly, Tyler was back in bed, waking up abruptly to the waking bells of Dema.

 

Tyler looked around, panicked. Was Joshua in trouble? 

 

There was only one way to find out. 

 

With the biggest decision of his life in Dema made, Tyler began to gather his things. His notebook of poetic line he had written down, his jacket and extra set of clothes all went into his standard-issue green backpack. 

 

He was going to find Joshua. 

 

He snuck out of his small apartment, out onto the street and to his normal work post. Dallon eyed his backpack knowingly, and said nothing as Tyler attempted to be more sneaky among the glassy-eyed farmers.He made his way to where his post was, and saw Joshua again, his newly green hair standing out among their dull-haired peers. “Joshua,” Tyler breathed.

 

“Tyler?” Joshua’s face was not smiling, but rather scrunched up in confusion.

 

“We need to leave.”

 

“What?” Joshua looked taken aback. “I didn’t know anyone else had that idea,” he whispered.

 

“Well, I do. We need to go, Joshua.”

 

“Where are you two off to?” Dallon’s voice suddenly called from behind Tyler.

 

Joshua gulped. “It's n-nothing, Dallon.”

 

“It sounds like you’re trying to escape,” Dallon remarked quietly. “You’ll need my help.”

 

“What?” Tyler hissed. “Dallon, you can’t.”

 

“I need to get back to the others, anyway,” Dallon continued. “Dema gets boring after a while.”

 

“What are you talking about?” Joshua asked.

 

“You’ll find out,” Dallon replied with a smirk. “But not now. Tyler, go back home. I’ll say you were sick. Meet me in the courtyard at midnight. We’ll go from there.”

 

“But-” Tyler began.

 

“It’s dangerous as it is, may as well try and lessen that danger by going at night,” Dallon snapped. “Go home, Tyler.”

 

Tyler wanted to protest, but Dallon fixed him with a very stern look. Tyler sighed, looked back at Joshua one last time, nodded, and headed home.

 

Tyler was comforted by the fact that they’d be leaving soon. Joshua would be safe soon, smiling his sunshine-smile without a care.

**Author's Note:**

> Stay tuned for "Bandito" - coming in October (probably)!
> 
> Comments and kudos slowly bring me back from my vampiric state.


End file.
